August 2011 Staff Picks

Joe Coffey — Editorial Director
What am I listening to?
Moreland & Arbuckle,
Just a Dream. This three-piece
out of Kansas fuses
Southern rock with delta blues. The album
does a good job of capturing the Foos-like
rawness of their live shows.
Who would I want in my dream band?
Get this: Jimi Hendrix out front, Dave
Mason on acoustic, Tommy Shannon on
bass, Chuck Leavell on B3, Vinnie Colaiuta
on drums. I’d try to keep up on rhythm
and eventually pick up a cowbell.

Andy Ellis
— Senior Editor
What am I listening to?
The Beatles, Love. Giles
Martin’s creative remix
does justice to the Fab
Four and his father George, and each listening
reveals something new about the
Beatles’ cosmic oeuvre.
Who would I want in my dream band?
Bekka Bramlett on vocals, Levon Helm on
drums, Robbie Shakespeare on bass, Mike
Finnigan on Hammond, and I’d play baritone
guitar. The music? Memphis soul classics
reborn as dub reggae.

Shawn Hammond
— Editor in Chief
What am I listening to?
Random punk and funk
bands on Pandora Radio.
Who would I want in
my dream band?
Amy Winehouse on vocals, Darryl Jenifer on
bass, Brian Blade on drums, and John Paul
Jones on keys would be a hoot. But I could
dream up a lot of cool lineups. I’m a firm
believer that awesome stuff happens when
you bring together open-minded players who
are stoked to jam despite having very different
MP3 collections.

Seth Hansen
— Multimedia Coordinator
What am I listening to?
Superdrag, Head Trip
in Every Key. When
summer comes around,
I love crunchy, guitar-driven pop. This is
about as good as it gets. I could put “I’m
Expanding My Mind” on repeat the whole
summer and be satisfied.
Who would I want in my dream band?
Nick McCabe’s lead work soaring over tight
rhythm from Johnny Marr, with Robert
DeLeo laying the groundwork on bass. Add
a pocket drummer and minimalist singer to
fill in the rest.

Chris Kies
— Associate Editor
What am I listening to?
Nick 13, All Alone. Nick
13 countrifies Tiger Army
originals while going
Bakersfield-style two-stepping on the rest of
All Alone. He does a great job of reviving the
Nudie-suit era of country on his solo debut.
Who would I want in my dream band?
William Elliott Whitmore and Johnny
Cash (vocals), Brent Hinds and Jerry Reed
(guitars), Marshall Grant (standup bass),
and Drifting Cowboys’ Jerry Rivers (fiddle)
and Don Helms (steel guitar), creating a
country-psychobilly freak-out ensemble.

Rich Osweiler
— Associate Editor
What am I listening to?
Superchunk, Here’s Where
the Strings Come In. This
recently remastered gem
from 1995 captures Superchunk at their finest.
The fast-and-furious power pop doesn’t
let up all the way through.
Who would I want in my dream band?
John Bonham on drums, Jimmy Page on
guitar, John Paul Jones on bass, and yes,
Robert Plant doing the vocals. I’d handle
whatever they’d let me play—or I'd simply
watch and listen.

Tommy Emmanuel
— Guest Picker
What am I listening to?
I’ve been listening to
country music on satellite
radio, artists like
George Strait and Allison Krauss. I listen
to everything. I once drove from New
Orleans to Nashville listening entirely to
the Elvis station. Sometimes I go to the
’70s or ’80s channel.
Who would I want in my dream band?
Steve Gadd on drums, John Patitucci on
bass, Larry Goldings on keyboards, and Pat
Bergerson on rhythm guitar.

Charles Saufley
— Gear Editor
What am I listening to?
White Denim, D.
There’s not much they
don’t do. All these dudes
have mad chops, but guitarist James Petralli
channels Ollie Halsall, Jimmy Page, and
Tony McPhee’s rapid-fire, clean-Strat tones
into furious lead and rhythm work that
supports the band’s funky-prog-Skynrd-meets-
summery-indie-art-pop-blooz attack.
Who would I want in my dream band?
I’ll take any combination of the MGs and
White Denim.

Jason Shadrick
— Associate Editor
What am I listening to?
Phish, Live Bait Vol. 5.
This is a free collection
of the band’s shining
moments from all of their festivals dating
back to ’87. The 34-track exploration covers
everything from dirty NOLA funk to
spacey, Dead-inspired jams.
Who would I want in my dream band?
Stanton Moore on drums, Audley Freed
on guitar, and Page McConnell on keys.
The set list would contain mostly ’70s soul
tunes and classic rock anthems.

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